


“Tillé Levesin, Eighth Handmaiden in the Third Class for Padmé Amidala”

by Polgarawolf



Series: Star Wars: You Became to Me [16]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Handmaidens, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), POV Original Character, Prisoner of War, Psychological Torture, Psychological Trauma, Sacrificial ethics, Suicide by combat, Torture, War, War Crimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-10-12
Updated: 2007-10-12
Packaged: 2017-11-13 08:10:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polgarawolf/pseuds/Polgarawolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is fifteen random but chronological moments from the life of Tillé Levesin, who is, quite literally, the eighth handmaiden in the third training class of potential handmaidens chosen from among a large pool of applicants for the job for the newly elected Nabooian Queen Padmé Amidala. There is an actual story here – one small thread among the vast woven tapestry of life that is the living history of the galaxy, stretched out and twisted, knotted into the whole, curled down among the roots of time, connecting various moments together – but one must read between the lines to capture it. It is not precisely the truth, for the subtle story of these moments is sketched out here in words, and, in the sin of writing down a life, it inevitably changes the shape of things. But it is nevertheless a form of truth. (From a certain point of view . . . )</p>
            </blockquote>





	“Tillé Levesin, Eighth Handmaiden in the Third Class for Padmé Amidala”

**Author's Note:**

> **Warning:** This story functions as a sort of compressed codex for Tillé Levesin’s life, as she is going to be written (or at least referred to) in my not even nearly complete AU **Star Wars** series **_You Became to Me_**. If anything doesn’t make sense, please feel free to ask!
> 
>  **Author’s Notes: 1.)** Again, for anyone interested, this not-quite-a-story is compatible with my SW AU series **_You Became to Me_** , including the trilogy _Thwarting the Revenge of the Sith_ , if you squint at a couple of things sideways and view a few others solely through the lens of Tillé Levesin’s eyes. **2.)** Although this is technically modeled on a prompt set that I borrowed from somewhere or another on the LJ (I really don’t recall from where anymore, precisely, though if someone would like to set the record straight, I’ll add the info for the community in question here in my notes), it’s not really meant to function as a response to whatever the challenge actually is that’s associated with said LJ prompt set. I just used the specific prompts to give me a reason to string together a backstory of sorts for Tillé. **3.)** Readers might want to consider the fact that Tillé, like a lot of native Nabooians, is fairly strong in the Force, but that she hasn’t received any training whatsoever to speak of and so has no real conscious control over that sensitivity to the Force. **4.)** Readers interested in knowing who the physical models are for original characters like Tillé should please consult the latest versions of my posted lists of cast original and EU characters and for handmaid(en)s and other important Nabooian characters, which are available on my LJ! For clarity's sake, though, please keep in mind that Tillé is modeled on a teenaged Jillian Ann. Also, please note that characters who may be alluded to but not referenced by name (certain family members of original characters, for example) are considered too minor to be cast at this time, and readers should feel free to imagine them howsoever they wish! **5.)** Handmaidens often tend to pair off, as is the case here, with Tillé Levesin and Maitané Aldona, a fellow handmaiden from the same training class (hence, the relationship label for original female characters and the underage warning. Sort of. Mostly). **6.)** Speaking of pairings, I've labeled this story to indicate Padmé Amidala's love for Sabé, because, even though it may not be specifically mentioned in this character study piece, handmaid(en)s know so much about their sworn Lady that readers can be certain that Tillé, like all of Amidala's other handmaid(en)s, would have surely known about how much Amidala and Sabé love one another! **7.)** **_Please note_** that most of the warnings on this piece exist specifically because Tillé and Maitané “break” under torture. If references to torture tend to be triggering, dear readers, then you might want to seriously consider giving this particular character study a pass! 
> 
> **Story Notes:** **1.)** Since this is part of a larger on-going AU series that in some respects fairly closely mirrors or follows events of canon (up to a certain point, anyway), readers should please keep in mind that certain characters and events from the prequel movies/novelizations of the films and even events/places/people referenced in the EU or Expanded Universe may be mentioned or alluded to in this story. If anyone has any questions about whether someone or something is AU, canon, or EU canon, please feel free to ask! **2.)** Readers should probably be aware that I am roughly estimating (guestimating might be a better word) the original publication date for most of the character study pieces in the **_You Became to Me_** series (and indeed most of my stories, especially the ones written over a long period of time), based on when I roughed out notes for them in the story notebooks I carry everywhere with me and when I can recall having worked on certain groups of characters. The year is going to be accurate, but the month might be off and the day will almost certainly be randomly chosen, since the online account I had originally posted many of these stories to no longer exists. I tend to go back and edit things that are in series whenever I get the time or a new idea causes me to have to make room for something else plot-wise, and odds are good that a story could have been edited for typos as recently as the day of its posting here, but the original version will likely be much older and fairly close to the publication date that I attach to it, if anyone's curious!

**“Tillé Levesin, Eighth Handmaiden in the Third Class for Padmé Amidala”**

 

 **01.) Green:** She doesn’t particularly look like this new Queen – her eyes are green, after all (with blue flecks in them and not brown, meaning that they could never be mistaken for Amidala’s lovely dark brown eyes), and her hair is closer to black than brown and naturally straight as a board to boot, not to mention the fact that her nose turns up and there’s something about her facial features that makes them almost seem mannish, from some angles (possibly due to the squareness of her jaw and the solidly strong blockishness of her face from cheekbones to jaw), rather than softly feminine and heart-shaped, like Amidala’s lovely flower-like face – but the resemblance is close enough that no one would look at her twice, in a crowd of identically dressed handmaidens who’ve all been made-up to look as much like one another and like their Queen (when she is free of her royal costumes and ceremonial face paint) as possible, and she likes the idea of being in the royal court, even if only as an apparent chosen companion and guardian for the Queen, and so she gathers up her courage and puts herself forward as a possible candidate by submitting an application for consideration for training as a handmaiden.

 **02.) Call:** She’s so shocked and happy, to receive the comm call informing her that she’s been accepted as part of the third training class of potential handmaidens and should come to the Palace the following Atunda for the orientation for her training, if she still wishes to become a handmaiden for the Queen, that she actually manages to forget, at least for a while, that their world seems to be in imminent danger of rapidly falling apart. 

**03.) Clairvoyant:** They are barely at the Lake House Retreat for a week’s worth of training before they’re abruptly yanked out and brought back to the Palace, and she doesn’t need to be clairvoyant to know that something bad is going to happen soon.

 **04.) Bluster:** She admires Amidala for taking a stance against the Trade Federation, truly she does, but there seems to be something other than the usual empty bluster and posturing to the Trade Federation’s threats, and she fears that the situation may be a lot more dire than the Queen (or anybody else) seems to actually realize.

 **05.) Control:** She is and she isn’t surprised by the Trade Federation’s invasion – yes, because they seem unnaturally convinced that they _must_ have control of Naboo and their plasma mining operations, at all costs, no matter what they must do in order to gain that control; no, because it’s such an incredibly bold move and Neimoidians are generally such cowards and those battle droids of theirs are incredibly vulnerable to any kind of attack against their controlling computer – but she is a little surprised by the way that Amidala just left almost all of them behind, even if it was next to impossible (not to mention extremely dangerous) to get past the blockade and probably there wouldn’t’ve been enough room on just the one ship for all of them, anyway.

 **06.) Consolidate:** Orders are to run, to go to ground, to wait for Amidala to return from Coruscant and work against the Trade Federation in secret, recruiting allies from among the people to sabotage any and all of the Trade Federation’s attempts to consolidate any kind of real power base on Naboo, until the Queen can return with help from the Senate; the Trade Federation and their droids are already here in the Palace, though, and Lietté and Roché are turning traitor and everything is happening so very _fast_ , and, while she’s sure that probably ten or twelve from amongst the various schools of handmaidens have gotten cleanly away, Aimeé and Justé from the second class were cut down as they provided cover for the others to flee and Etté and Aideé from her class have been wounded, and she’s just frozen in place, unable to make herself try to run, rooted to the spot by Essé’s insanely malicious laughter as she viciously kicks the fallen Aideé, making the poor girl sob and scream in pain. 

**07.) Coward:** Word is that the Queen’s ship made it past the blockade and that even the little Princess of Theed managed to get safely out of the Palace and go to ground, with several of the handmaidens and handmaiden trainees, and she feels like such a coward that she bursts into helpless tears of shame and anger, quieting only when Maitané comes to hold her and rocks her comfortingly in her arms, cooing a soft little soothing lullaby to calm her down.

 **08.) Cell:** After a day and a half in the complete darkness of her makeshift cell, she honestly feels like she’s about ready to lose her mind, and she’s pretty damn sure she’d be beating on the door, screaming for someone’s attention and begging to be let out, if not for Maitané.

 **09.) Rumor:** Rumor has always had it that the handmaiden oaths are so closely based on the old oaths that used to be sworn by the acolyte-like chosen companions and guardians of the monarch (back when the monarchy was as much about glorifying and worshiping the Great Lady as it was about actually ruling) because the Queen fully intended for her older handmaidens to eventually be able to take bonded free-mates amongst themselves (to make up for the families they were giving up, in taking those oaths to become handmaidens), and that this is the reason why the potential handmaiden trainees were so often encouraged to double up and placed in suites meant for two, when they got to the Palace; whatever the reason may be, though, she is unutterably grateful for her roommate Maitané’s presence, calming and centering her and giving her someone to cling to, when the darkness in their makeshift prison and the noises of pain and anger and suffering from outside (presumably in other such cells) become too much to bear.

 **10.) Broken:** On the second day, Essé and Rosé come to try to frighten them, gloating over how many other prisoners they’ve already broken for their new Trade Federation masters, but it’s Lietté and Roché who actually come to interrogate them, late on the fourth day, and that makes it far, _far_ worse than she’d been trying to prepare herself for it to be.

 **11.) Frenzy:** Maitané is so much stronger than Tillé is that she seems to feel obligated to take the brunt of the pain being offered them, but that only angers Lietté so much that she goes into a frenzy of sorts, flechettes and branding irons and thumbscrews and a homemade rack all brought out for use, and, no matter how much she cries and begs and pleads for Lietté to leave Maitané alone and to hurt her, instead, it does no good, only making the fiend laugh maniacally and leer at her through the blood-smeared mask of her face, sensuously licking the flat blade of one of her knives clean, like a child licking the chocolate icing off of a cooking spatula, her expression of unbridled pleasure identical to that of a woman in the throes of a powerful orgasm.

 **12.) Try:** Maitané breaks so completely that Tillé is almost positive that even the best Minders in the galaxy will never be able to pick up enough of the pieces to put her back together again, but Tillé tries just as hard as she can to help, anyway, because she loves her, and she doesn’t know what else to do _but_ try.

 **13.) Torture:** Everyone seems to know that they “broke” under torture – the looks they get are either full of contempt, for not being stronger, or of distrust, for not changing sides willingly, or (occasionally) of pity, for what they’ve been through – and she knows nothing good will likely come of this changing sides business, but she’d been so frantic to get Maitané away from Lietté that she just hadn’t known what else to do, and it’s too late, now, to try to do the noble thing (the thing the Queen and their instructors all would’ve expected of them) and refuse to cooperate, no matter what indignities and agonies might be heaped upon their bodies.

 **14.) Alive:** When she sees the Sith, she knows they aren’t going to make it out of this alive, and so she immediately starts plotting ways to take down as many of these evil beings with them as they possibly can.

 **15.) Red:** She’s not sure Maitané really understands what they’re doing – she skips about more like an excitable child than a woman who truly comprehends what they’re doing, singing about red hands and faces gone purple-blue from gas and lovely bombs going boom and bad people going squish; yet, sometimes she also seems to grimace as if on the brink of tears, as though pained in some way by what they’re doing – but she’s so sure that Maitané will be better off not suffering anymore and that Sabé and the Queen will never forgive her, for seeming to break and for cooperating with someone like Lietté, and, anyway, these traitors to Naboo they’re targeting, who turned on their people willingly, without any kind of coercion at all, all deserve to die, just as the cowardly sycophants the Trade Federation Viceroy brought with him, to see to his needs, all deserve to die, so she figures they might as well go out in a blaze of glory and do Amidala the favor of taking as many of the bastards with them as they can.

**Author's Note:**

>  **Clarification Note:** One of the reasons why my AU **Star Wars** series _**You Became to Me**_ is so entirely not even nearly complete has to do with the fact that I really started writing at the wrong end of the prequel trilogy for an AU (in my defense, though, when I started what became my _Thwarting the Revenge of the Sith_ trio, which is over a million words long, I thought I was doing a sort of one-shot fix-it based on an idea I got for "fixing" RotS by changing something that happens very near the end of James Luceno's EU novel _Labyrinth of Evil_ , which is set immediately prior to RotS). One of these days, I fully intend to rectify that problem by going back and starting from the beginning, with an AU rewrite of TPM, which is why I took the time to do a character study sketch for a supporting character like Tillé. She'll be showing up again, in a more prominent role, whenever I get around to that AU rewrite of TPM. Folks might want to keep that in mind when reading this, since technically this is spoilerish for an AU novel that I haven't gotten around to writing yet!


End file.
